Flaming Red and the Sundance Kid
by NazgulQueen13
Summary: Aurora was a shunned Kyrrian princess, mostly of her own doing. Marius was a prince fed up with society. Together, they run away and become the most wanted outlaws in the land: Flaming Red and the Sundance Kid.
1. The Rescue

**Attention!:** I just wanted to let you know before you read that Char and Ella aren't _actually_ that mean in the story. Most of it is told from the POV of Aurora, their daughter, and the fact that she has a bad relationship with them is completely her own doing. So they're not really that mean, it's just that it's her point of view, which is that they are terrible. She'll come to realize her mistakes at some wonderful climax near the end of the story, which I hope I'll get to without getting reviled for making them mean. So don't let that keep you from reviewing, please? Pretty please?

Emma the NazgulQueen

Chapter One

"I don't know what to do with you, child."

"You've already missed three dress fittings!"

"And the wedding rehearsal…"

"And the family portrait…"

"And…"

Princess Aurora's attention faded away as her parents, King Charmont and Queen Eleanor, rattled off her many shortcomings. She would admit that she had missed a lot of the planning of her darling sister's, also Eleanor, wedding, but it was deliberate. Could her parents not see that?

Aurora, it would seem to the passerby, was, quite frankly, not like most young women. As she stood in the great hall listening to her parents, she wore knee-high leather boots, black britches, a man's white shirt, and a black vest. Her long, reddish hair flowed to her waist, where it nearly became entangled in her belt, which held a long sword and many daggers. She held a look of boredom and disdain on her otherwise lovely face, and her green eyes sparkled with mischief. She was tall, very tall, and strongly built; even the guards seemed a tad afraid of her.

Of course, she had the misfortune of being the middle child. Eleanor the Younger was the eldest child of the five; then came her brother, Charmont the Second; then Aurora; then Arieda, the brilliant scientist child; and then, of course, Jerrold, the prodigy of an instrumentalist. And although her parents were very loving, the fact could not be denied that Aurora stuck out like a sore thumb. She not only physically appeared different than all the rest, she was the only one to be named arbitrarily, and the only one to engage in an activity of which her parents did not necessarily approve.

"Unless you are here for the next rehearsal, I'm going to have to keep you under guarded eye every moment, Aurora," her father finally finished.

Aurora sighed heavily, but lifted her eyes. "So we're done, then?"

"Have you not listened to a word we said?" her mother asked.

"Of course I listened," Aurora lied expertly. "I always listen."

Her father sighed as well. "And give some more time to your sister, alright?" he said, his voice sounding weary.

"I always give," Aurora continued, in her sarcastic, honey-dripped voice. "I'm a giver by nature, always have been."

"That's enough," the queen cut her off, her voice also tired. Aurora rolled her eyes; _don't think I haven't noticed that I'm the only child you don't laugh around_, she silently told her mother, although a part of her stung to think that she had never laughed, either. She began to tap her foot as an annoying silence fell over the room.

"Alright, you may leave," her father finally said.

"Oh, only if you insist, your Majesty," Aurora said, sweeping a surprisingly graceful curtsy. King Char clicked his tongue but didn't respond. Aurora turned on her heel and let out her anger on the doors, allowing them to slam shut behind her.

Once out of the room, she took a moment to take a breath. Well, if there was one thing she knew, it was that there wasn't anything happening today with the wedding; at least, not anything that she needed to attend.

She left the castle and went to her stable; when she was young, she had always made such a ruckus inside that her parents finally built her her own stable so that she could go out and play. It was now her favorite place in the world, as it was the one of the few places where her parents', and the kingdoms', disapproving eye was not constantly around.

She walked slowly toward the stable, the wind picking up and blowing her hair into her face. She caught a strand of it and pondered its color.

"Cursed hair!" she said, half-joking. "Why, why must you be so different than my precious brothers and sisters, all of whom were made in the image of my equally precious parents?"

"And why are you so dramatic?"

She looked up to see her friend, Thomas, smiling at her, standing next to her horse, Noir. She laughed.

"Because, how else am I to deal with it?" she said, stopping in front of the two.

"You could… oh, I don't know… _talk_ to your parents?" Thomas said. He was an elder chap, with gray, curly hair and perpetual stubble. He was about as tall as she, with similarly broad shoulders.

"Now, why would I want to do that?" she said. "Sarcasm, you see," she began, jokingly stroking her chin, "is the only defense mechanism I have. I have been shunned and disliked my whole life, and this is what has become of it."

Thomas shook his head. "You're incorrigible."

"Ooo, big word," she replied, stroking her horse's mane.

"So, are you actually going to attend the next wedding-plan-step?"

She grunted. "I have to. My evil plan is failing."

"Oh, really? And what was this evil plan?"

She mounted her horse with a swift move. "See, I thought that if _I_ never came to any of the planning, my family would be so heartbroken and despairing that the wedding would be called off. But then, I had forgotten that my family doesn't especially _care_ about my input… it's just the image they want."

Thomas shook his head again, something he had become an expert at after so many years with Aurora. "Where are you off to then?"

"Eh, I guess I'll just go to the forest and back," she said, placing a hand over her eyes and searching the horizon. "I should be back by dinner or it'll be me they're eating tomorrow." With a smile to Thomas, she urged the horse forward and took off to the forest.

* * *

"Your highness, I am sorry for the intrusion, but the others have asked if it would be alright if we stopped for a bite to eat?"

Marius, Prince of Oredya, stopped his horse for a moment. He looked behind him to the other knights; they were barely clinging to their horses, panting for breath. He looked at the messenger, who was biting his lip and looking terrified.

"Of course," Marius said, dismounting his horse. "We are close to Kyrria, anyways, we aren't losing any time."

The other knights thanked him, and they began to prepare a meal. Marius could have kept riding forever, but he loosely tied his horse to a tree and wandered a little away.

It was the first time in months that he had been able to get away from his parents. It felt wonderful to be on a journey, even if it was to boring old Kyrria to see his cousin get married to some probably equally boring princess. They were near the edge of the forest, and Marius felt some disappointment at the sight of his journey's end.

Not that he was a snob, or anything. He didn't even particularly like Oredya, but it felt to him as if there was never any true excitement anywhere he went. In Oredya, his father pushed girls on him as if it was like choosing a favorite candy. In Kyrria, girls would probably push themselves on him, and he was tired of being polite and distant. He did, however, feel a sense of responsibility for his people, whom he cared about a great deal.

He had climbed a boulder and was looking out upon what little there was left of the forest before Kyrria. He sighed, resting his arm on the limb of a tree.

He had been standing there but a minute when he felt a sudden pain in his arm.

"Don't worry, it'll only take a minute."

He whipped his head toward his arm to see that his wrist had been tied to the branch. A great, ugly ogre leered at him, chuckling at what he must have thought as his great wit.

Marius free hand flew to his waist, but a flood of panic ran through him as he realized he had left all his weapons down at the camp. He opened his mouth to yell for help, but another ogre's hand came from behind and tied a rag around his mouth. They grabbed Marius' free arm and tied it next to his other one. He hung, limp and helpless, as he watched the ogres brought out a large pot and set it on a pile of twigs and branches.

He struggled for a few moments before settling into a panicked despair. So, this was how it was to end, he thought. To never experience anything real; to never be king, or fall in love…

He got lost in his own miserable thoughts as the ogres prepared to cook him. He was tugged out of them when the ogres began to poke him with a stick.

"He looks nice and juicy," one growled.

"I think I might like his legs," the other said, and the laughed.

"I don't think so, Ugly Ogre!"

Marius was jerked out of his fog of doom and looked up. Atop the branch stood a poised, strong, fearless… woman? The ogres laughed harder as the woman unsheathed her sword and a dagger.

"Sir, never fear," she said, and then paused. "I'm here!" Then she chuckled. "Ha! That rhymed!" A grunt from the ogres brought her attention back, and she leapt from the branch, successfully kicking both ogres in the face. They stumbled back, and she landed on her feet.

Marius watched in amazement as the ogres clumsily, but powerfully, swung their clubs at the woman. She dodged every blow, dealing them a few strikes of her own with her sword. One ogre started to bring his club down on her head, but she blocked it, struggling for a few moments and then sending the ogre reeling back into the pot, knocked out by his own club. The other one rumbled, and she turned to face him squarely. They circled each other for a few moments, before the woman lunged and they began a duel, the ogre stupidly using his powerful club as a sword. She caught him by surprise and his club rolled away. She brought the hilt of her sword down upon his head, and he fell to the ground, causing it to shake.

The woman stood for a moment, panting and trying to catch her breath. She then straightened, pulled something out of her ears, and placed a triumphant foot atop the fallen ogre's stomach.

She cocked her head and said, "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how it's done."

Marius made a muffled sound, desperate to see her closer. She gave a jump, and hurried over.

"Sorry!" she said. "I forgot all about you!... got caught up in the moment, you know…"

She bent down and cut the binds free with her dagger. She then reached to pull off the gag, which Marius had just been about to do. She laughed.

"Right, you can do that yourself…" she trailed off, standing up. He pulled the rag off his head and stood up as well.

"That… I mean… wow," he ended, somewhat lamely.

She smiled. "Thanks, I guess."

"No, no, thank _you_," he effused. His savior was beautiful, with long, dark red hair, and sparkling green eyes. She stood almost as tall as he, and was strong of build, but all that was softened when she smiled.

"Well, it was nothing, honestly," she said.

"No, there must be something I can do to thank you," he insisted.

"No, forget it. Please. Forget it," she said, a look of apprehension passing through her eyes.

He smiled. "Alright then."

She nodded, and turned to leave. She was partway down the small hill when he began to run after her. He felt an urgent need to know more.

"Please, all I ask for is your name," he said, catching her hand.

"Oh…" She looked toward the edge of the forest, where a bit of the castle could be made out. She turned back to him, a smile on her face. "What's in a name, really? You know? I mean, what's a name going to tell you?"

"More, I hope," he said. "Fine, I'll tell you my name first." He swept a gracious bow. "My name is Marius of Oredya."

She cocked an eyebrow. "As in Prince Marius of Oredya?"

He slightly rolled his eyes. "Yes, guilty as charged."

She smiled. "Well, then, your highness… Aurora of Kyrria," she answered, giving a curtsy.

"As in Princess Aurora of Kyrria?" he responded with a smile.

She gasped, but it was obviously fake. "Don't tell me… other nations know that I'm a princess? Wow… I thought my parents had told everyone I was either dead or in a mental asylum."

He laughed. "Well, there are stories."

"I'm sure there are," she said sarcastically, resuming her walk.

"Let us take you back to your home," he said, walking alongside her. "We're going there, anyway."

She sighed as they came upon a black mare. She reached up to pet it, obviously thinking. She looked back at him, as he gave what he thought was an encouraging smile.

"Alright," she finally answered.

"Excellent," he pronounced, and offered his arm. She took her horse's reins in one hand and laid her other arm on his. They walked toward his knights' makeshift camp, as he tried to discreetly smooth his thick, chestnut brown hair. His own eyes were brown, and he noticed her green ones were laughing as they looked on him.

"What?" he asked defensively.

"Nothing, it's just…"

"What?"

"I just find it humorous that I saved you… I wonder if I can use this against my parents in any way," she said.

He laughed, although he wasn't sure if it was a joke. They came upon the knights, who, from the looks of it, hadn't even noticed their prince was gone.

"Gentlemen," Marius said. They looked up reluctantly from their food. "This is Princess Aurora of Kyrria. She has just…"

"… been saved by your wondrous prince," she interrupted. He looked over at her questioningly, but she just winked and smiled.

The knights grunted a hello, and quickly went back to their food. Marius sighed, embarrassed that his knights were so lazy and inattentive.

"We should get going," he said loudly.

The knights looked at him for a moment, and then rolled their eyes at each other as they stood up. Marius blushed.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to Aurora. "They are not very… professional."

She laughed. "I've seen worse."

The knights packed up their things and mounted their horses once more. Marius and Aurora trotted ahead of them at a rather leisurely pace.

"So, have you come to Kyrria for the wedding, then?" Aurora asked.

"Yes. It is my cousin your sister is wedding," he answered, looking over at her. She kept her eyes forward, but he noticed a change in them.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She broke from her daze and looked over at him. "Nothing, it's just… what kind of stories are there?"

She was being serious. He bit his lip and said, "Well, there's the story about when your sister was born."

She laughed, but this time there was no sarcasm in it. "That was a good one."

"I'd love to hear it from you," he encouraged.

"Honestly?"

"Yes," he urged.

"Alright, well… I was four when my sister, Arieda, was born. She was a few days old when they finally let me hold her, so I was sitting in the healing hall with her all by myself. I suddenly had an idea, and walked to the room where they keep all the babies. Of course there was no in there, they were all too busy fawning over my mother and making sure she was fine. So I traded Arieda with a darker-skinned baby and walked back to the room. Putting on my best innocent face, I walked in and held the baby up. 'Father?' I asked 'why does Arieda have darker skin than you?' No one replied for a moment, so I went on, 'Does Arieda have a different father?'"

Marius was laughing hard by now, leaning over his horse.

Aurora went on, "I definitely saw a look of horror flash over my mother's face, but my father was livid. 'WHERE IS YOUR REAL SISTER?' he shouted. I just laughed and ran out of the room, quickly trading the babies back and carrying the real Arieda to the room. 'What are you talking about, she's right here' I said. Well, my parents were furious, to say the least. I had to stay in the castle for a month."

"That's brilliant, it really is," Marius said, still chuckling.

"Really?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes!"

"Hmm… you're the first person to think so," she said more seriously. "Everyone else has always thought it to be horrific."

"Well, I think you're brilliant. To tell you the truth, I always liked to hear the latest story about the rebel princess from Kyrria."

"Really? Well, I'm glad to have found someone who doesn't spit the ground at the sight of me."

He didn't answer, gazing at her. She seemed… sad, somehow. Like she didn't have a friend in the world… but then again, did he, Marius, have any friends? Not really. He wasn't as detached from his parents as she was, but he was an only child. His knights couldn't care less about him, and he had never really known anyone growing up. He felt connected to her, as if they were already good friends.

"My father is always surprised when he hears stories about you," he said.

She looked over at him. "Why?"

"I don't know, but he always says that he would have thought your mother would be more understanding."

Aurora smiled knowingly. "One would think."

He didn't ask for an explanation. "How old are you?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Twenty one," she replied.

"As am I," he said, but then thought of something. "So that means your sister is…"

"Seventeen," she finished, but then her lips curled into a devilish smile. "Why?"

Marius inwardly groaned. He had just remembered his father's strong encouragement to befriend, and maybe even court, the younger daughter. _Kyrria__ and Oredya would do good with an alliance_, he had said.

"Oh, I see," Aurora said with a laugh. "A Kyrrian-Oredyan alliance on the brain, eh?"

This time Marius outwardly groaned. "Hardly… it is, however, on my father's brain."

"Well, no offense, but I don't think you're really my sister's type," she said.

"And how is that?"

"First off, I've heard that she likes blondes… and the brainy-types, you know, the ones who wear monocles."

He laughed. "Well, from what I've heard, she's not my type, either."

"Really? Who's your type, then?"

He shrugged. "I don't really have a type." He paused looking over at her. "You might be my type."

She laughed. "I doubt it. I've never been anyone's type."

"Well, you just met me."

"Yes, and in a few moments, you'll probably detest me along with the rest of human civilization."

He ignored the comment. "What if I told you, you were the most beautiful woman I've ever seen?"

She looked over, a humorous look on her face. "Well, you can tell me, but I shan't believe you."

They fell silent as the group finally emerged from the forest. They paused for a moment, looking over the landscape. There was a great span of green meadow before it led up a hill to the castle, which was surrounded by a large village.

"Welcome to Kyrria, Prince Marius," Aurora said.

He looked away from the land and focused his eyes on her. "I think I'll like it here."


	2. The Plan

**Again**, remember what I said about the Aurora-Char-Ella relationship.

Other A/N: Review, please!

Disclaimer: Well, I obviously did not think of the title by myself. That goes to whomever came up with the title for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the movie that stars the two most handsome men over 50, Robert Redford and Paul Newman (sigh). And again, obviously I do not own anything that already belongs to Gail Carson Levine.

Chapter 2

After Aurora had taken Marius to the castle, she hurried to her room to change for dinner. Because she had stopped to rescue him, she barely had ten minutes. She didn't mind, though. She smiled as she thought of him; he had been so nice, courteous even, that it thrown her off guard. She was so used to people thinking so little of her that she didn't know how to react to him. She thought back on their conversation… what had she said? She remembered laughing, truly laughing, something she did not do often.

She quickly brushed her hair so that it shone, red and straight, and checked her face one last time for any dirt. Although she loathed it, she gave a quick spray of perfume and hurried out the door.

She entered the dining hall just as the trumpets sounded for dinner. The long table had been brought out, which was filled with nobles and foreign rulers who were in Kyrria for the wedding. Their chattering ended abruptly as Aurora let the doors close behind her. She rolled her inconspicuously as she headed to her place. She avoided all their gawking eyes, except for Marius, whom she spotted in the middle of the long row. He smiled at her; he was the only one.

The moment she took her seat, the chattering recommenced, and Aurora settled in. Her parents were looking at her with a mixture of shock and happiness.

"What?" she asked defensively.

The queen was the first to break the stare. "Nothing, dear, nothing," she said with a hopeful smile.

"Well, I'll say it, then." Aurora looked up to see Eleanor her sister across the table, a haughty look spreading across her face. "We're all amazed that you've decided to grace us with your presence, Aurora."

"Eleanor," the queen admonished.

"Well, it's true," Eleanor said, noticeably entwining her fingers with those of her fiancée's, a rather bland bloke with dusty blond hair and a passive expression.

"I think it's wonderful you've arrived for dinner," the queen told Aurora, her green eyes encouraging. "Now we can eat as a family."

"Oh, so these …oh… fifty or so other people are part of our family?" Aurora said.

"They are now," Eleanor replied before her parents could speak. "They're here for _my_ wedding, after all, the most exciting day ever!" She squeezed her fiancée's hand to emphasize the point. He only gave a grimace of pain.

While the rest of the family went back to chattering, Aurora's brother Charmont, who was sitting next to her, leaned in.

"Where have you been? I've been the only sane one to deal with these lunatics," he whispered.

She smiled. There was an exception to her insufferable family, and that was Charmont, or as Aurora called him, Junior. Two years her elder, Char had taken upon the task of becoming a "people prince." As such, he had been traveling nearly nonstop since he turned sixteen, and often looked exhausted. He was a near replica of their father, except the son had taken on a more laidback, carefree look than his father.

"Sorry," she mumbled through her bread. "I was rescuing a prince," she said proudly.

He chuckled. "Really? Who is this Prince Charming?"

She tried to subtly point Marius' way, but Charmont couldn't see him through the candlesticks that lined the center of the table.

"Marius of Oredya," she finally said.

"Oh. The lad with the brown hair right there?" he said with a smile, pointing his fork at Marius.

She slapped the cheeky devil. He just laughed at her annoyance and continued eating. They suffered together through Eleanor's verbose ramblings about married life and becoming queen, but Aurora soon lost him to a discussion with their father.

She ate quietly, but found herself trying to catch Marius' eye. He, however, seemed enraptured in a conversation with a buxom blonde, and Aurora felt part of her become annoyed. He must have lost interest in her already; or perhaps he had heard some more stories, even more horrible ones than the baby story. She decided that must be it, that he disliked her along with nearly everyone else at the table. She knew it had been bound to happen sooner or later, but she had been hoping it would have been later.

Dinner finally ended and Aurora fled out of the room, desperate to get some air. She knew the others would claim the balcony just outside the dining hall, so she took a little known hallway and came out instead on an abandoned terrace.

The air was very quiet, even though she could still see the throng of people on the balcony. Her calm eyes gazed at the party for a moment; they all seemed so happy. How could that be? How could all those people possibly be so happy for her sister, half of whom hadn't even met the princess herself?

She soon saw a figure crossing the lawn toward her. Supposing it to be her brother, she hopped onto one of the tables that stood on the terrace and waited for him. Even through the dark, though, she soon could tell that it was, in fact, not her brother. The figure was taller, and lankier than her brother, and she squinted to try to make out the face.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," she finally heard a voice call out. Marius' voice. "Why must your castle be so large?"

He neared her finally, a smile on his face. She gawked at him in amazement, causing his smile to vanish.

"What?" he asked, worried. "What's wrong?" He stopped in front of her.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm just… I must have been imagining things."

"What sort of things?" he said with a mischievous smile.

"No, I just thought… well, it's silly, really…" she stammered, looking at the ground. Why did she become so flustered around him? She hated feeling flustered.

"Tell me."

She looked up, examining his earnest yet playful face. "I thought you were ignoring me," she said, with a sarcastically-angry look.

His jaw dropped in fake shock. "On the contrary, I thought _you_ were ignoring _me_."

"What? I tried to get your attention. You, however, seemed very interested in a certain golden-haired maiden," she said with a laugh.

"Ah," he said, sitting on the table next to her. "That was just a ruse."

She raised an eyebrow. "Do explain."

"Well, I thought that if you saw me conversing with an attractive female, you would burst out of your seat in jealousy and show her her place."

Aurora laughed at the image. "So then you weren't having a grand time with her?"

He made a disgusted noise. "Absolutely not. I'm surprised I didn't just vomit into my soup right then and there." This made her laugh again, and he laughed with her. "They're all intolerable," he went on. "I only found enjoyment when they spoke of you."

She chuckled, but secretly felt pleased. "I'm sure they spoke with the highest regard of their princess."

"Well… not quite."

"I'm so surprised."

"I, for one, was greatly amused."

"That's a feeling I don't think I've induced with my stories just yet."

"There's a first for everything."

She chuckled, sliding off the table. She took off her shoes and stepped down to the grass. Marius didn't follow, but she could feel his eyes on her.

"How long have you been this way?" he asked softly.

She smiled, lifting her skirt to feel the cool grass under her feet. "What way?" she inquired.

She heard him sigh. "Sad… lonely."

This caught her by surprise. She looked up and studied his face. He was looking at her more sincerely now, his eyes considering her with a steady gaze.

"How do you know I'm sad?" she asked, her voice surprised yet understanding.

He shrugged and broke his gaze, looking to the ground. "Your laugh… it does not come as natural as most people's do."

She considered this for a moment. It was true, she did not laugh without sarcasm often. Yet he had made her laugh… and she had enjoyed it. Yet she did not want to fall in love; there was far too much she wanted to do before she settled down. _If _she ever settled down, that is. She thought of her parents for a moment; somewhere, deep down, she knew it was her fault they had such a strained relationship. But when the rest of the kingdom hated her so, it was difficult not to take it out on them. Perhaps that was why she was sad, but she couldn't be sure.

"I don't know," she said simply; there was no sign of question in her voice, it was simply a fact.

He nodded, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to pry."

She smiled, and left the grass to stand in front of him. He did not look at her, instead studying his fingers in his lap.

"What about you?" she asked. "You do not seem so happy all the time."

He looked up at her, his eyes half hidden behind locks of brown hair. He smiled a little, but it was sarcastic. "I do not enjoy society," he answered, his voice hard.

"Why not?"

He paused, before saying, "People have lost all honor. True honor, not this family honor nonsense. They care not that their fellows are begging and starving in the streets, but care more about putting on a good show for a prince so that they may be looked upon favorably by everyone else. They find the latest fashion to be more intriguing than the fact that there are people who do not even have shoes for their feet. They would rather see me with a trophy wife than to let me find someone I love. They would rather force you into conforming into the conventional princess than let you be happy with who you are. They-"

But she had suddenly held a hand up to his face, and he trailed off. The side of his face felt flushed under her cool hand, and he took some deep breaths to try to calm down. She let her thumb softly stroke his cheek, as his eyes closed for a moment. He then lifted his own hand and wrapped hers in it.

"I should let you sleep," he said in a whisper. "It's a big day tomorrow."

She smiled, but knew he was right. He brought her hand to his lips and lightly kissed it.

"Goodnight, Marius," she said with a small curtsy.

He chuckled. "Goodnight, Aurora."

Without wanting to think, Aurora left him and went straight to her bed.

* * *

Marius watched her walk away, part of him rejoicing, and part of him distressed. He was happy to see and talk with her again; he was distressed to find his feelings warring amongst themselves in her presence.

She must have thought him a fool. Him, a prince, spouting the downfalls of society? It was hypocritical, and yet he felt she had understood.

She was unhappy here; she had been the only gloomy face besides his own at dinner. He longed to see her happy, to see her the way she looked whenever he made her laugh. They had only just met, and yet he felt like they were connected, as if they were in this together. As if they could run away together and never look back, content to live far away from anyone else.

The thought clicked somewhere in his brain. It was perfect… and why shouldn't they? They had nothing to keep them here…

He went to sleep mulling over his plan.

Aurora awoke sharply to a loud knock at the door. She bolted up, immediately regretting the abrupt move. The door opened and Nancy, one of the head maids, bustled in.

"Rise and shine, your highness!" Nancy chirped as she opened the curtains.

"What is this madness?" Aurora muttered.

"It is your sister's wedding day!"

"Don't remind me," Aurora mumbled, squinting in the bright morning sun. Her hair lay in tangled strands about her head, and her bedsheets were in a great disarray.

"I'll start some water for your bath, Highness," Nancy said, going into Aurora's washroom. She soon heard the sound of water.

"I'm off to awaken your sister, Highness. Ring the bell if you need anything!" Nancy said as she left the room.

Aurora sat for a few more moments in her bed. She sighed, looking over at the dress that hung from the door of her closet. It was a deep green, with silvery petticoats and a long train. She dreaded putting it on, for she inherently knew that it would not fit, what after the three dress fittings she had forgotten to attend. She could already tell that the shoulders weren't wide enough, but she didn't want to have to go to her parents to tell them it didn't fit. She could already see their "I-told-you-so" faces.

She dragged herself to the bath as the clock chimed ten o'clock in the morning. Feeling cleaner but not much better, she sidestepped the dress and instead put on her usual fare. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to eat lunch with her family before putting on the dress, or what the heck was going on, so she left her chambers and headed for her parents'.

She knocked on the door, somewhat hoping they wouldn't be there.

"Come in!" her mother's voice chimed.

Darn. Aurora opened the door and leaned on the doorframe, finding her mother on the bed putting her shoes on and her father on the balcony.

"Anyone want to run down today's events, perchance?" Aurora said, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. This was no time to antagonize them.

She heard her father sigh but he didn't turn. The queen nodded as she crossed over to her bureau.

"The wedding begins at four, exactly. You are to eat lunch at half past twelve with the family, then get dressed and have your hair done. Then go to your sister's chambers to help her get ready," her mother recited, also trying to keep an edge out of her voice.

Aurora paused. "What if my dress doesn't fit?"

She saw her mother take a deep breath and keep her eyes closed for a moment. "Then we'll fix it." Her voice was tense, as if this was the last thing she needed right now.

"What if it can't be fixed?" Aurora knew she was just provoking them now, but she had to do something to get rid of her energy.

She heard her father say something under his breath, to which her mother said, "Char!"

Aurora set her jaw. "What was that Father? Was that _No one wants you there anyway so it'll be a blessing_? Or was it the _Well, we can't fix you being born, so we'll have to fix the dress_? Or-"

"That's enough, Aurora," the queen chided.

Her father still did not turn, but his head was in one of his hands. She rolled her eyes and made to leave.

"Remember lunch, Aurora," her mother reminded her, and it struck Aurora how tired she looked.

"Lunch, twelve thirty, got it," Aurora said, and then closed the door behind her. She paused to think; the grounds had been taken over by the wedding, so there was no chance she could get to her stable. She decided to just return to her room and read until lunch.

Lunch came and went, with the usual let's-ignore-Aurora routine. This time she did not mind it all, and was especially grateful that they had excluded her from the incessant wedding conversation. She went back to her chambers and took the dress down and unbuttoned the long line of pearly buttons that ran down the back. She slipped it on and was amazed; it fit. It was as if it was magic.

Mandy, she thought.

Of the few people who had been kind to her, Mandy, the chef and apparently her mother's fairy godmother, had been kind. Of course, Mandy was kind to everyone, but it felt nice to know that she wanted to help Aurora out.

She twirled a bit in front of her mirror. She rarely wore dresses, but she didn't mind them. This one was wonderfully comfortable, and she was inwardly happy to see that she looked rather splendid in it. There was soon a soft knock at the door, and Aurora opened it to see one of her sister's ladies in waiting cowering before her. She shook her head at the silliness of it, but beckoned the woman to come inside.

They didn't speak once as the woman quickly brushed the full length of Aurora's hair. It took a good three-quarters of an hour to get her hair up, pinned, and decorated with a few flowers. The woman curtsied and left just as silently as she had come.

Aurora knew she was ready, but hesitated leaving for her sister's room. She knew it would boring and dull, but she also knew they would soon hunt her down like a dog if she did not come. Reluctantly, she left her room and headed towards her sister's.

She came into the room unnoticed, and it was easy to see why. At least a dozen people were zooming every which way, and Aurora often had to dodge out of the way. She picked her way to her sister, who was standing in front of a mirror next to her bed. Aurora plopped onto the bed and gave her sister a wave through the mirror.

"Orders," she simply said when Eleanor gave her a funny look. That was about the last thing she said for another hour, while the harried seamstresses and ladies in waiting rushed about. It finally calmed down around three o'clock, one hour before the wedding. Eleanor was dressed in a resplendent, beaded, pearl encrusted white gown, complete with a tiara and veil. She was unusually quiet, however, and once they were left alone, Aurora inquired why.

"Oh, you know, big day, and all," Eleanor stammered, staring at herself in the mirror.

"A very big day," Aurora emphasized. "You'll be with this man for the rest of your life."

"That's an awfully long time," Eleanor said.

"Yes," Aurora agreed, but a mischievous smile soon curled at her lips. "And tonight…"

"What about tonight?" Eleanor said quickly.

"Well, you know," Aurora said, egging her on.

"What? What? What do I know?"

"I mean, you'll really _be_ with this man for the rest of your life, starting tonight."

"What do you mean, _be_?"

"Have you ever seen him without his clothes on?" Aurora asked impishly.

"No… will I have to?" Eleanor asked.

Aurora laughed at her sister's naiveté. "Of course."

"I don't think I want to," Eleanor said. "Is that all I'll have to do?"

Aurora laughed again.

"Oh, Aurora, please tell me."

It was not five minutes later when Aurora was running out of the room. Panicked, she closed the door with a slam and turned around to see none other than her parents.

"Hello, you," she said with a false smile, blocking the door.

"What is it?" her mother said shrewdly. "What's going on in there?"

"Going on? Nothing, nothing's going on!" Aurora lied.

"Aurora," her father said threateningly.

She took a breath. "We have a slight situation."

"What sort of situation?"

"Well, you know… I… I was… and then she… she didn't… I thought that she would… but she didn't… so I… well, then she… I couldn't… I didn't think…" she stuttered, trying to relay the story with hand gestures.

"Just tell us!"

"There's vomiting," she finally said.

Her parents rushed past her and into the room. Aurora sighed, chuckling at herself. How was she to know that her sister didn't know what happened on a wedding night? Eleanor was elder than she, after all.

She meandered down to the grounds, where most of the seats were already filled with chattering guests. She walked onto a terrace a few feet away from the altar, unnoticed. She leaned her chin in her hand and dozed a little until the wedding began.

* * *

Marius arrived at the wedding later than everyone else, earning him some disdainful stares. He shrugged it off and took his seat; if everything went to plan, he could be away from these insufferable people before long.

"I can't believe she is marrying this fool." A man in front of Marius had turned in his seat and was whispering with the woman next to Marius.

"From such a low class!" the woman hissed back. Marius raised an eyebrow; the groom was a baron, that was not so low class.

"She should marry a prince!" the man replied.

"Kyrria gains nothing out of this. Did she not think of her people at all?"

Marius groaned and slumped in his seat. He tried to block out their conversation, but found it to be impossible.

"She should have at least thought once about the consequences. He'll be king!"

"What if she loves him?" Marius finally asked, his voice not at all friendly.

"Loves him?" the woman said, shocked. She then turned to the man and they began to laugh.

"Love has nothing to do with marriage, you wistful boy," the man asserted. "Royals in particular should not marry for love."

"The king and queen of Kyrria are in love," Marius challenged.

"Yes, and look at Queen Eleanor! She refused to become a princess! It's unheard of!" the woman said.

Other people had joined in by now, and were murmuring agreements with Marius' foes. He bit the inside of his cheek to prevent him from getting too angry.

"So you would rather see the princess with someone she abhors but is a good alliance than to see her happy?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"It's not that we don't want her happy… she just would be happier with someone from a higher class," the woman said, strengthened by the like-minded guests.

Marius gritted his teeth; how sadly in denial these people were. They wanted so much to believe that they were thinking the right thing for their princess.

"But the other siblings? Does it matter if they marry?" Marius inquired.

"Of course! There's still time to form an alliance with other nations, or have the other royal children marry _well_," the man on the right of Marius said.

"Except for Aurora, of course," someone down the row said. They all scoffed in harmony.

"That ruffian will be the ruination of the family," the woman said.

"No one would ever want to marry that headstrong, ignorant girl," the man agreed.

"On the contrary, I think she's very intelligent," Marius argued.

They stared at him in shock.

"It takes some nerve to defend that… that… hooligan!" the woman cried.

"She'll be exiled before long… even her parents hate her," the man said.

The others fell into a heated discussion of the rogue princess, but Marius resumed his slumped position. His eyes drifted over the lawn, searching for some relief from this hell. He soon found it; Aurora was sitting on a terrace not far from the altar. He smiled at the dazed expression on her face; _We'll__ soon get away from it all_, he said in his head.

The wedding began shortly, and the talking around him stopped. He did not pay attention to the ceremony, but it felt as if it went on for hours. He contented himself with watching Aurora, who was standing next to Eleanor with her younger sister. She was one by one picking all the petals off her flowers, even though her sister nudged to her stop.

The ceremony finally ended amidst great rejoicing. The entire party was told to head for the ballroom as the clock struck six. The sun set as the great body of people drifted to the ballroom, Marius lagging behind.

He was the last to enter the glittering ballroom, where dozens of couples were already dancing. An orchestra played a spirited tune as the newlyweds led the dance. Marius headed for the food, bypassing several hopeful ladies who were eyeing him. He did not care for dancing, even though his mother insisted he was wonderful at it. He was forced to introduce himself to numerous guests, all of whom asked him the usual polite, yet boring, questions about Oredya. He leaned on a large plant vase, surveying the crowd. The king and queen were already dancing, joined by their children – except one.

Marius looked up to the where the thrones were placed, a few steps above the dancing floor. He just caught a glimpse of the swish of a green dress, leaving through a side door. He subtly made his way toward it, nodding politely to people who recognized him. He finally made it, and with once last check to see if anyone was watching, left as well.

He paused for a moment; the air was cool, and wafts of music still drifted outside. He saw Aurora walking through the garden that the door opened upon, and he smiled.

He walked toward her, but she didn't notice him. He came to a stop right behind her.

"Care to dance?"

She turned, and her eyes were happy to see him.

"You like to dance?" she asked, a tone of surprise in her voice.

"Why are you surprised?" he asked, a smile on his face.

"Well, for someone who loathes society, it wouldn't seem very practical to indulge in such a social activity," she responded.

He chuckled. "Well, you are right. I don't especially care for it. But I would like to dance with you."

She smiled, biting her lip. "Alright, then."

He took her by the waist, clasping her hand in his. They waltzed to the soft music that floated out of the ballroom, both of them silent for once. He debated with himself; should he ask now? Might as well. It was as good a time as any. But then he felt her rest her head on his shoulder, her breath soft on his cheek. Later was fine, too.

They danced like that for a long time, not bothering to change with the music. He had asked her once if she would like to go back inside, but she said that no, she didn't want to see her family's happy faces ruined by her company. His grasp on her waist tightened when she began to shiver, causing her only to nestle her head further on his neck.

There was a long period of silence, while Marius mulled over his idea. Would it work? Would it work if he was in love with her? But he wasn't… was he? He couldn't be… he was just very taken with her, that's all. It would pass, and they would be better friends than ever. Right?

"Run away with me," he finally said in a whisper.

She lifted her head, her eyes bewildered. "What?"

He took a deep breath. "Run away with me, Aurora. We can escape all this, together. We can run away and never look back. Nothing's keeping us here, right?"

Her mouth was slightly open, but a look of understanding spread across her face. She soon smiled.

"Why not?" she said in a fervid whisper. "There _is_ nothing to keep me here. Why not escape it?"

He returned her smile, a thrill running through him. "We can right society's wrongs," he said in a determined, yet joking, voice.

"We can show everyone just how much of a scoundrel their princess really is," she answered, a flash of revenge in her eyes.

"So it's a plan?" he said.

She nodded. "It's a plan."


	3. The Outlaws

Chapter 3

Aurora and Marius parted ways at midnight, but only for a few hours. The party was looking like it would continue well into the morning, and more than a few distinguished nobles were drunk and making fools of themselves. They weren't noticed as they went to their rooms.

Aurora was practically giddy with excitement. It wasn't like she had never thought of running away before… she had thought of it every day. But now she had someone to be with, and besides, with the excitement of the wedding bound to last for days and days, no one would notice for easily over a week. By that time, they'd either be so far away or so well hidden that not even the royal knights could find them.

She changed out of her dress and into her usual attire, strapping on her boots with a smile. She threw some extra clothes into her bag, along with some jewels to sell and any gold that she had. The sky was lightening a bit as she braided her hair. She looked around the room one last time; she had never particularly liked it, what with its pompous architecture and heavy, rich fabrics. She had never made any attempt to make it her own, because the only time she spent in it was to sleep. She shrugged and left, closing the door with a satisfying bang.

The halls were empty and quiet, save for the distant sounds of merriment that continued to persist. She snaked through the hallways to the door that led to her stable. She could see the partiers still having a good time on the ballroom's balcony, the orchestra still playing waltzes and spirited gavottes. She turned her eyes away to see Marius standing near the stable, his horse by his side. He smiled as she approached.

"Will you miss your home?" he asked as she led her horse out of the stable, after leaving a note for Thomas. She looked at the palace, pondering the question. No matter how many times she looked at it, the palace still seemed foreign and strange. It had never been her home.

"No," she said simply with a smile.

He returned the smile, shifting the quiver of arrows on his shoulder. He, too, had a sword at his hip.

"Will you miss yours?" she inquired, mounting her horse.

He thought for a moment, and then mounted his as well.

"No," he answered pensively. "Besides, my parents will simply think I either stayed in Kyrria to court some maiden or have begun scouring the countryside for a bride," he said, his voice joking yet scornful. He then chuckled. "Well," he said, "take one last look at the past."

She looked at the palace and at the party on the balcony. She sighed, a tiny part of her sorry that she could not stay and be happy. But the rest of her was fighting to leave, so with a final nod, she turned her horse around and headed for the forest, Marius following.

They paused at midday, somewhere deep in the forest. The trees casted cooling shadows to deflect the scorching sun, and they were able to find a small stream to take a quick drink. Marius was wiping his brow as Aurora fitted an arrow to her bow.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I just realized I'm starving," she said. "I thought I might go try to find some food."

He nodded. "I'll come with you," he said, reaching for an arrow as well.

"No, you stay here with the horses. I'll be fine," she said with a smile, amused by his concern.

He bit his lip, but sighed. "Alright. But if you're not back in an hour, I'm coming for you."

Aurora left their little dell and headed off the path, where the growth was thick and wild. Her going was slow, and for awhile she didn't see or hear anything. After half an hour, she saw another path, with deeply embedded wheel tracks. She stood on it for a moment, searching the other side for any sign of deer.

Something caught her eye, and she loosened her grip on her bow. She crossed the path and quietly walked over the untamed brush and into this darker part of the forest. A small vale, much like the one where she had left Marius, was visible a few score feet away in a spot of sunlight. It wasn't empty, though; a dozen or more people were huddling in its light. As she crept closer, unnoticed, she saw they were all crowded around a dead deer, each person seemingly desperate to get a morsel of meat. They were clothed in shabby rags that hung limp on their thin frames, and their hair was straggly and frail. Aurora's heart fell, and her mind flickered to the wedding, where food had been in such abundance that the chef had been talking of throwing it away once the party was over. She quickly grew angry, and was about to speak to the people when a clattering noise resounded throughout the forest. The people seemed to panic, and before Aurora could say anything, they had taken the deer and vanished.

The noise continued, and Aurora left her spot and went back to the road. The sound was that of a carriage rattling down the path, and it was coming her way. She stayed to the side and hid behind a tree, her arrow still ready. The carriage came closer, and she could hear voices talking. Carefully, she turned around and laid her stomach close to the tree, and just barely peeped her eyes around the trunk.

She couldn't believe it. It was as if it was fate; the carriage that was trotting closer and closer was piled high with food, lots and lots of food in wicker baskets. She smirked to herself, and fingered her bow. She stepped back a bit, into the dark shadow of the tree.

The carriage was closer, and the voices were clear.

"Can you believe the princess wanted all of this food to go to those disgraceful poor hoodlums?" one man said, cracking his whip.

"It's going to much better use at the wedding," the other agreed. "Those begging ruffians don't deserve it."

Biting her cheek to keep herself from getting angry, Aurora withdrew her dagger and sliced a strip of fabric from her britches. Cutting two holes in it, she put down her bow for only a moment and tied the fabric around her head. If these two men were headed to Kyrria, the last thing she wanted was to be seen.

The carriage finally came by the tree. Aurora let it clatter on a few feet, and then – _whoosh_ – her arrow landed right between the wheel and the carriage. The carriage struggled for a few moments, shuddering with great intensity, and then it fell with a great thud onto its side. The men rolled from their seat off the path, landing in the thick underbrush by the side of the road. Aurora leapt from her place.

She scooped up as many baskets as she could, and then noticed the men coming to their senses and staring at her. She swept a grand bow.

"Thank you gentlemen," she said, pitching her voice much lower than usual. With one last look toward the empty vale, she left the men to fend for themselves and walked back through the forest to Marius.

She reached their little valley, nearly laughing aloud. She found Marius pacing the small area with furious anxiety.

"Would you like to have a picnic?" she said, leaning against a tree and holding up the baskets. His mouth fell open.

"Aurora! I was so worried – how did you – what are these-" he stammered.

She chuckled. "I ran into a carriage headed for Kyrria," she explained. "Their wheel… just _happened_ to break and the baskets went everywhere."

He smiled. "Well, that's a bit of bad luck for them, isn't it?" he said with a grin. "But how do you explain the mask?" he asked, indicating Aurora's makeshift disguise.

She chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't want my dear old dad to know that his precious daughter is going around breaking people's carriages," she said, laughing.

He took a basket from her and they sat down, spreading the little quilts that were neatly folded inside the baskets.

"Is this how it's to be, then?" he asked as she removed her mask. "We'll live off of other people's misfortune?"

"Why, is that a problem?" she asked, smiling as she ate a chicken leg.

He shrugged, but she could see he wasn't thrilled with the idea.

"Marius, the men were taking this food to Kyrria even though their princess had asked them to give it to the poor," she said. "It doesn't have to be just _us_ who live off of others' misfortune. We can… we can steal from the rich and give it to the poor," she said with a flourish, and then told him about the people she had seen in the vale.

He scowled. "They were desperate because their rulers won't spare them a passing glance. The rich think they carry some sort of plague that spreads poverty," he said, his voice rough with anger.

"Exactly. Think what we could give to them," she said. "The rich always carry around gold in their fancy-pants carriages. Do they really _need_ that gold? I mean, honestly."

"And they always dress in clothing that's probably worth twice as much as the poor have ever earned in their whole life. And for what purpose? Do you really need to wear a silk doublet to check on your orchard?"

Aurora smiled as he continued to rant. He had such passion; more than once she had thought that he may only be a spoiled prince who was craving adventure. But he had proven to her that he genuinely cared about the poorest of the poor, the weakest of the weak. And she admired him for it.

"You're absolutely right," he finally finished, pouring some wine into two goblets. He lifted his up, and Aurora followed suit. "Once you're an outlaw, you'll always be an outlaw. To sticking it to the rich!"

"Here, here!" Aurora chimed in, and they clinked the goblets and drank.

"Do you think we'll get caught?" Marius asked.

Aurora smiled. "Does it matter?"

He chuckled, but didn't answer, and they fell into silence.

They had been eating for a few minutes when Aurora said, "You know, you should probably make a mask, too."

He nodded, and took out his dagger. Instead of tearing the black britches he had on, however, he reached into his satchel and took out a navy doublet. He cut a long strip of its lush fabric and then took a moment to measure where his eye holes should go.

Aurora laughed at him as he carefully cut the holes. "You're not performing surgery, Marius."

He gave a 'hmph.' "Well, I don't want to be attacking some noble and not be able to see," he argued. He finished and tried it on.

"Oh, very nice," Aurora said. "It brings out your eyes," she said jokingly.

"It will be the height of fashion," he said. "Soon everyone will be wearing a mask."

"Perhaps I shall add some rubies to mine, glam it up a bit," she said, putting hers back on. "What do you think?"

"Oh yes… maybe I could find some gold thread and embroider mine," he replied, and they laughed, but it wore off.

"Do you think we'll be wanted men?" Marius asked thoughtfully.

She raised an eyebrow. "Men?"

"You know what I mean," he said.

She smiled. "Of course. We'll be famous… everyone will fear us," she said with a laugh, but then sobered. "We should think of some plans," she said. "In case we _do_ get known, we want to keep them surprised."

He nodded, and reached into his satchel again and drew out some paper, pen, and ink. They spent the afternoon sitting in the secluded grove, scheming skillful and crafty plans of attack. By the time night fell, any worry that either of them had had about being found out was gone as they reviewed their strategies.

The morning dawned, fresh and encouraging. Marius and Aurora needed to only take one look at each other, and their plan was set into motion. They packed up their belongings and parted.

Marius headed back to the road from whence they had originally came, and paused for a moment to watch Aurora walk the other way, toward the path she had been to yesterday. He chuckled softly to himself; she was unlike anyone he had ever met before. He thought about her as he made his way through the tall grass. As they had talked of their plans yesterday, she had had such enthusiasm that she was almost inhuman. _This is going to work_, he thought. He could finally lift the guilt that had weighted so heavily on his conscious every time he had attended a feast, or a ball, or an extravagant coronation. He was no longer a prince. He was a servant to the poor, an aide to the weak, a server to the helpless. And man, did it feel good.

He reached his destination, a tall tree by the side of the road. He tied his horse to a low branch, and then climbed to the very top of the tree. He stood on the strongest branch he could find, and held on tight. He smiled; he had a perfect view of the road. He got comfortable and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited…

It was just after midday, and Marius was jerked out of his stupor by the sound of a bird call. It was Aurora's call! _Finally_, he thought, and quickly returned the call. He excitedly, yet carefully, climbed down from the tree and leapt from a low branch onto his horse's back. Untying his horse quickly, he set off at a gallop. His horse nimbly leapt over roots and fallen branches, and in a few minutes, he could hear the clatter of a carriage coming down the road. Grinning, he stayed hidden in the thickness of the edge of the forest, but galloped alongside the decadent and elaborate carriage, the driver of which wore heavy purple velvet and had a thin, curled mustache. Pulling ahead for a moment, he saw Aurora doing the same as him on the other side of the path. He immediately knew which plan they were going to use, and waited for the signal.

Sure enough, in just a few moments, he heard the bird call again, and he sprang into action. He pulled his horse from out of the forest and galloped beside the carriage on the road. The driver noticed the two riders flanking his carriage, but before he could do anything, Marius heard another bird call. He pulled his horse forward to the driver's seat, and urging his horse to continue galloping, reached out and grabbed a decorative centaur that sat perched on the corner of the carriage. Swinging himself off his horse, he landed quite nicely next to the driver, whose face had gone white but was putting up a fight. Marius grabbed the reins with one hand and punched the driver square in the nose with the other. The man was knocked out and slumped to the side. Marius took the reins with both hands, and thrilled with his success, prayed that Aurora was doing as well as he was.

She was. Aurora had been galloping along the right side of the carriage, and after giving the bird call, grasped two centaurs that were lining the top of the coach. She, too, urged her horse to continue galloping, and swinging herself back, crashed through the door and landed with a clunk on the floor of the carriage. She shook off the small pangs of pain and saw two ridiculously overdressed men staring at her, sitting on opposite sides of the carriage. Laughing from how easy it was, she stayed on her back but kicked her legs out to either side with great strength, sending a terrible blow to each man's groin. The men gave out a scream of pain, and they fell forward, hitting their heads together and knocking each other out.

Aurora took a moment to breathe and smiled to find a chest sitting nicely on one of the seats. It wasn't even locked… she laughed again. Opening it, she found small pouches tied with silk ribbon. She took out her dagger and sliced one open; a shower of glittering gold coins poured out. She grinned, and closed the chest again. Then, sensing that this may be the easiest steal they would ever have, stripped the unconscious men of their fancy clothing, leaving them in their equally fancy skivvies. Clutching the clothes and the chest firmly under her right arm, she held onto the edge of the broken door and once more gave the bird call. The stagecoach slowed down to a halt, and Aurora whistled for her horse to slow down as well. He trotted beside the carriage, and when it stopped, she slid onto its back and went around the carriage to the front.

Marius had done the same, and they grinned at each other.

"Well done," he said.

"You, too," she replied, but then her smile faltered. "I think that may have been a little too easy, though."

He nodded. "It was probably the easiest we'll ever have."

"Well, _I_ took full advantage of it," she said, her smile returning as she held out the clothes. Marius laughed.

"You didn't," he said, taking a pair of velvet pants from her.

She laughed as well. "I had to, I just couldn't resist."

They laughed and talked of their first successful escapade as they trotted toward the valley where Aurora had seen the group of impoverished people. It was empty, but Aurora had the feeling they were being watched.

She came down from her horse and took the chest in both hands. Marius followed with the clothes. They walked down into the small valley and laid down their finds. Aurora kneeled and opened the chest, untying a few of the pouches, not bothering to tie back her glimmering red hair which had escaped from its ribbon.

"This is for you," she said, looking around as she noticed pairs of eyes shining out from the darkness. She then glanced at Marius, who smiled at her encouragingly.

A few moments of odd silence ensued, and Marius gestured to Aurora that they should leave. They were about to mount their horses when a woman stepped out of the darkness.

"We are very grateful to you," she said, her voice husky but polite. Aurora and Marius paused, and then nodded to her.

"We saw the whole thing," came another voice, and a man stepped out as well. "You are very brave, to steal from the rich and give it to us, the poor. We thank you." At this, the entire group emerged from the trees, including gaunt little children with bright, wide eyes. Marius suddenly bowed to them.

"It was our honor," he said.

"We shall remember you," the first woman said. "We shall tell of your valiant deeds… Flaming Red and the Sundance Kid."

Aurora and Marius looked at each other, and grinned as they silently agreed that they loved their newly christened names.

"Well, this is only the beginning," Aurora said with a smile, and then mounted her horse. Marius did the same, taking in the grateful faces of the group once more. With one last nod of the head, the newly minted outlaws rode away.

That night, they ate what was left from the baskets and talked of their victory.

"You were amazing," Marius said as he sat leaned against a tree. He gazed at Aurora through the flames of their small fire; he'd had a bit too much wine, and Aurora, who hadn't had much at all, just laughed at him.

"You're drunk," she informed him, drinking instead from her canteen of water.

"I am not," he said thickly, leaving his place and moving toward her. Without much warning, he let his head fall on her shoulder.

"I'm glad I'm out here with you," he said, his voice childish as he took her hand in his.

"Next time I'll leave the wine for the nobles," Aurora said callously; she was irritated that he had drank so much, and knew that this conversation was heading somewhere she didn't like.

"No… I like wine," Marius said in a whiny voice. "Just like I like you."

"Are you comparing me to alcohol?" Aurora said, her irritability ebbing as she realized how humorous the situation was. He would forget everything in the morning anyways.

"No," he said, picking his head up and looking her in the face. She refused to look at him and instead concentrated on the fire. A few moments later, however, Marius suddenly reached up and pulled her face toward his, placing his lips on hers. He broke away after only a few seconds, and with a fleeting look of happiness on his face, he fell onto his side and fell dead asleep.

Aurora, however, breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't felt a thing… well, except for his dry lips and wine-tasting breath. Somewhere inside of her she had been worried that she may actually feel something other than kinship with Marius, but that kiss had just proven that there was not one part of her that was attracted to him. She smiled and leaned back on her elbows.

Nothing could stand in their way now.

* * *

A/N: Ack! I am SO SORRY! I can't believe how long it's been! First there was school, and then there was this period where I couldn't decide where to go next with this story, and then I wanted to concentrate on my other story. So I am dreadfully sorry!

But now school is out and I have more time! And I feel much more inspired for this story. But you know what makes me even more inspired? Reviews! So please review!

Emma the NazgulQueen


	4. The Enemy

Chapter 4

_The Enemy_

A week passed, a week full of successful robberies and thefts. Marius and Aurora had continued moving, traveling a little farther each day, finding small, poor villages where the people already knew their names. They had been right; that first theft had been the easiest by far. Aurora had a long gash on her upper leg, which had been cleansed and bandaged by a healer woman in a small village near the border of Ayortha. Marius had a black eye after a driver had put up quite a fight, and a few cuts along his chest from the sharp branches of the forest. But neither could deny that a few physical wounds were a small price to pay for the satisfaction of bringing help and relief to the poor and eternally grateful village folk.

They crossed the border into Ayortha on a Saturday afternoon, and they could see the forest thinning up ahead. They made a small camp near the edge of the woods, so that they could see an enormous manor home just a few feet away, and beyond it, the palace, surrounded by more manors. Marius went to scout out the area near dusk, leaving Aurora to guard the encampment.

Aurora sat on the soft, dewy grass, absentmindedly patting her horse's nose. She twirled her hair around a finger; in the last few rays of sun, it really did sparkle a flaming red. She thought of the week that had just flown by, of how they had arrived in villages to the cries of "It's Flaming Red and the Sundance Kid!" She was trying to convince Marius that he had been named that because of the way his eyes danced and twinkled with the sun. He was certain it was just because it sounded good. She was amazed, nonetheless, at how quickly news of their exploits had traveled; no matter where they went, the people always knew exactly who they were. Which made her wonder, did the authorities know who they were? And more importantly, did her parents know?

* * *

_Meanwhile, in Kyrria…_

The endless merriment from the wedding had finally ceased after a whole week, and the newlyweds had left to spend some quality time in the countryside. The palace was a mess, and all family members, except for Charmont II who had left already, were busy cleaning. The queen was outside on the lawn picking up used firecrackers and burnt napkins when a squire could be seen running toward her.

"Your… your maj… majesty," the young boy said breathlessly, bowing as he tried to catch his breath.

"What is it?" Ella asked.

"I couldn't find the king, so they told me you were out here. I have an important message from Hamnotting, your majesty," he said, handing her a scroll.

She took it and unfurled it. It read:

_Your majesties,_

_ It has come to many an attention that there have been an unnatural amount of vicious highway robberies in Hamnotting and many other areas of Kyrria. We believe that the same two ruthless bandits are responsible for all nine of the thefts reported just this past week. They have stolen an unmentionable amount of gold, which seems to have made its way into the hands of the serfs in our villages. The tax gatherers have reported thus, that nearly all of the citizens in our villages who have rarely been able to pay their duly appointed taxes now have the amazing ability to do so. We have interrogated the citizens about this suspicious occurrence, but they have insisted that they do not know how the gold came to be at their homes. However, my scouts have reported seeing a pair of masked brigands hiding along the road, but they vanished before they could be caught._

_ I write on behalf of the Mayor of Hamnotting to request an assembly of your knights to assist in the finding, capturing, and imprisonment of these devious and wicked outlaws. If you wish, I will travel to the palace immediately. Thank you._

_ Signed,_

_ Stom Herzlos_

_ The Sheriff of Hamnotting_

Ella read the letter quickly. "Has anyone been hurt?" she asked the squire.

"Nearly twelve nobles have been wounded, your majesty," he said.

"How badly?"

"Some more badly than others, your majesty."

She thought for a moment. Of course, it was terrible that people had been hurt, but she couldn't help but be amused by these two outlaws, stealing from the rich and giving it to the poor. She almost didn't wish to catch them, but that would probably be viewed as treason. She rolled the scroll back up and handed it to the boy.

"Well, that is terrible," she said in her best falsely-concerned voice. "I believe the king is on the balcony," she told him. "Oh, and see if someone can make flyers with a sketch of these bandits. I'm sure the king will offer a reward."

The squire hurried back to the castle, leaving Ella to chuckle softly. She picked up the trash she had collected and was about to walk back when she noticed her daughter's stable. Her horse wasn't in it; Ella rolled her eyes, but didn't feel angry. She hadn't really expected her daughter to clean up after her sister's wedding. In fact, she would have been shocked had she assisted.

She loved her daughter very much, and, quite against her will, rather blamed the other children for Aurora's distance. She knew they had always made fun of her as a child, and although she had tried to get them to include Aurora in their games, they never did. Although of course she also blamed the kingdom's citizens; they had shunned her ever since she had been born with red hair. She and Char found nothing wrong with Aurora's want to wear britches, or ride horses, or be opinionated. Of course, Aurora didn't help the matter by acting the part to its fullest, flaunting her differences, deliberately being rebellious; Ella remembered with amusement the way Aurora had rode into her debutante ball on her horse wearing a feathered hat. But she knew it tired, and hurt, Char to know that Aurora blamed the whole family, not just her siblings.

She sighed as she walked back to the castle. She thought with regret the times she had played with the other children, gave them gifts, spent time helping them learn their studies. She hadn't thought Aurora would want that, but now she realized that it had been her greatest failure as a parent. She _should_ have spent more time with her, laughed with her, gotten to know her. But Aurora had been so resistant, and by the time she had turned sixteen, it was just too tiring.

The more she thought of it, the more she almost thought that those bandits nearly sounded like a very Aurora-esque idea. But that was ridiculous, Aurora had been here the whole week… hadn't she?

Giving her litter to a servant to dispose, she walked to Aurora's room, which was very quiet and dark, as the curtains had been pulled shut. It was so unlike any of the other children's rooms; no dolls lined the mantle, no maps filled the walls, no bottles holding chemical experiments covered the desk, no sheets of music were scattered on the floor. In fact, it almost felt like no one lived here at all. Ella walked to the closet, and upon opening it, found that it was nearly empty. Something felt wrong, but Ella couldn't imagine Aurora just taking up and leaving. But then again, she didn't know Aurora all that well, did she?

She thought about telling Char, but she knew that by now he was most likely distressed about the two thieves. She sighed, but decided to forget about it. Aurora couldn't have run away… could she?

* * *

Aurora had sat pondering the fame of Flaming Red and the Sundance Kid for quite some time; the sun had all but disappeared, and she was beginning to grow worried. Where was Marius?

Her ears caught the snap of a branch. She leapt up and unsheathed her sword. She looked around, wondering if it could be Marius, but something told her he wouldn't be this quiet. The sky was still light enough to see a few feet in every direction, but something in the pit of her stomach worried her.

She stepped forward a little, her sword in front of her. Holding it with her right hand, she reached up to check her mask, but she barely heard the _whoosh_ of an arrow before she was thrown to the ground. Her body shocked by the impact of her fall, she only just felt a searing pain in her shoulder. Looking down, she saw an arrow sticking straight out of her left shoulder just under the tip of her collarbone. She heard a thud not far away, and raised her eyes to see a man standing under a tree a few feet away. Bringing herself to her knees, she strained her eyes to see him.

"The game's over… Flaming Red," a drawling, mocking voice reached her ears. With a great deal of effort, she brought her right hand to her left shoulder and yanked the arrow out, tip and all. A surge of blood flowed from the gaping hole in her flesh, but she twisted her arm so that her left hand could cover it. She tried to stand, but felt dizzy and returned to her knees. The man laughed, and walked over to her.

"I was going to bring you in to the prison, but I think standing here and watching you die will be much more rewarding," he said, his cold voice sinisterly amused. He grabbed her by the collar and pulled her up so that her face met his. It was pointed and sneering, with a long, hooked nose and a carefully curled, handlebar mustache.

"Where's your little friend? Hm? Where's the little Sundance Kid?" he asked, and she smelled with great disgust his alcohol-laden breath. She didn't answer, but instead spat in his eye. He let her go and stood back, wiping his eye.

"Not going to tell? I'll just find him myself," he said, and pulled another arrow out of his quiver, fitting it to his bow. Finally getting to her feet, she slumped against a tree for support, her sword still ready. With a smile, he raised the arrow so that it pointed straight at her heart. Her reflexes had not been lost, however; he let go, but in a flash, the side of her blade whacked his arrow out of the way so that it landed with a soft clatter a few feet away. She stood straighter and began to walk toward him; although he backed away, he strung another arrow and shot; again she flung it to the side. She knew there was a frightening glint in her eye. She didn't even know who he was, but she hated him. He noticed it, too, but tried once more to shoot her, aiming higher, but she blocked it again, and with another swift move, sliced the belt from his britches which held his sword.

Finally, he was trapped. He couldn't fit between the two trees he was backed up against, and her sword was pointed straight at his heart.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice low and menacing. Her hand was still clutched against her wound, but the blood continued to flow; the lower part of her right arm was stained with it, eerie in the moonlight.

His face hadn't lost its triumphant arrogance. "Someone whom you cannot beat," he scoffed.

"That doesn't answer my question."

A nasty smile curled his lips. "Fine, then. It will serve you well to know who will be hunting you, every morning and every night."

In her anger, she slashed a thin cut along his cheek. "Answer the question."

"Stom Herzlos, Sheriff of Hamnotting."

She locked her jaw. "A pleasure, Sheriff," she said, before bringing the heavy hilt of her sword forcefully down on his head. He fell to the ground face first, unconscious. She backed away, dropping her sword and clutching her wound with both hands. Her vision blurred a little, and she felt herself sliding, sliding… but someone caught her before she reached the ground.

"Aurora! What happened? What's wrong?"

It was Marius, who turned Aurora around to face him. His eyes bulged and he gasped when he saw her profusely bleeding shoulder.

"Oh no…" he murmured, but scooped her up and carried her swiftly to a small creek nearby. He ripped his shirt along the bottom and dipped the fabric into the creek, and then wrapped the makeshift bandage several times around the gash. The tight binding slowed the bleeding and helped Aurora regain her senses.

"We have an enemy," she told him.

He was pressing a cold, wet cloth against her forehead. He sighed. "It had to happen sooner or later."

She told him what had happened, and who was after them. "We have to go as far as possible, and clear the camp as well as we can, and cover our tracks. Then he'll have nothing to go on."

He nodded. "I'll do it, stay here."

She was still in too much pain to protest, and so washed her hands and arms in the creek, revolted by the way the clear water was turning red. She watched it in sick and woozy fascination, until Marius came over and picked her up again.

"You stay on your horse," he murmured as he helped her mount. "We'll have to go slowly until it's safe to leave the path, so I can cover the tracks."

"Why can't we leave it now?" she asked.

"I heard ogres in this part earlier. We'll go a bit before we travel through the grass."

Their going was very, very slow. Aurora's head hung in fatigue and pain as her horse trotted at a snail's pace, the rustle of Marius covering their tracks behind her. Finally, in the dead of the night, Marius whispered to her that it was safe to leave the path, and with great relief, her horse tore into a gallop. They rode as fast as they could, Aurora dangerously teetering on her horse as she grasped the reins with her left hand, her right holding her shoulder which was throbbing in pain. The moon was still bright enough to see the treacherous roots and underbrush, and her horse happily leapt over fallen branches and narrow streams.

They rode hard and fast until the sun began to break through the clouds. They had no idea where they were, but they at least knew that they were very far away from the sheriff. As dawn emerged, they slowed down and trotted for a bit until they saw a small town. Dismounting, they tied their horses to a tree and tried to decide whether the town looked safe or not.

But Aurora had barely adjusted her eyes to the light of the dawn, when Marius groaned.

"I know where we are," he said.

"How?" she marveled.

He pointed to the flag that was whipping in the wind in the middle of the town's road. "Green and black. We're in Oredya."

Aurora gasped. "Really? We rode farther than I thought."

Marius sighed, not a happy sound.

"Well, will they be friendly?" she asked him.

He frowned. "I doubt it. They could be… but if word of us has reached my father, he's most likely offered a reward _and_ sent out knights to swarm every village. The village folk are easily frightened… I wouldn't be surprised if they'd turn us in."

Aurora frowned as well, watching as a few villagers left their homes to begin the day. Her eyes suddenly caught a large, handsome manor home at the very end of the dirt road.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing to the manor.

He grunted. "In Oredya, every town is centered around one lord. He controls everything, including what the villagers' trades are and how much taxes they pay. Awful people… but they're hard to get rid of. I've been planning a way to break down this system forever."

She grinned. "I can't wait until you're king."

He chuckled. They sat and began to make a bit of breakfast, Aurora rubbing her shoulder.

"We should change your bandage," Marius urged a few minutes later.

She nodded and they went to a nearby creek. They unwrapped the bloody binding to find that the jagged wound had turned black and crusted with blood. Marius examined it with concern.

"We really need to find a healer," he said.

"How? You said the village wasn't safe," she reminded him.

He sighed, long and heavy, and ran a hand through his hair. "We'll think of something."

* * *

An hour later, a figure emerged from the woods. It was hunched over, leaning heavily on a knobby, twisted wooden cane, a hood thrown over its face. Its hands were smeared with grime, and dirt was encrusted under the nails. Its black cloak was torn and grubby, yet if one looked closely, a few strands of glistening red hair had escaped and lay on the figure's shoulder.

It hobbled into the town, where the townsfolk stopped what they were doing to watch it shuffle down the street. It halted at the healer's apothecary, and with a glance around, it ambled inside.

The bell rang as the door closed, and the healer, a youngish woman with the distinctive Oredyan black hair and long nose, came out from the back room. The front of the store held shelves and shelves of vials and potions, but the figure bypassed all of these to stand in front of the healer.

"May I help you, stranger?" the healer woman asked, eyeing the figure's clothing with a skeptical eye.

"I need treatment for a wound," came a croaky voice from under the hood.

The healer softened, for although she did not know this person from her own village, it spoke in fluent Oredyan.

"Of course," the healer said, and escorted the figure to the back room. But the figure had stopped at the door, eyeing with an air of suspicious interest the flyer that hung from the frame of the door.

_WANTED!_ it read.

_Be aware! Two dangerous, ruthless highway robbers are at large! They are armed and dangerous, and have been seen in Kyrria and Ayortha. If you spot both or either of these two criminals, find a knight of His Majesty King Uturis of Oredya immediately. A reward of_

_2 POUNDS OF GOLD_

_shall__ be awarded._

_Sheriff Stom Herzlos_

_Hamnotting__, Kyrria_

_By order of King Charmont of Kyrria and the KAO __Alliance___

The figure gave a hoarse chortle. The healer was shaking her head.

"Terrible business," she said. "Just terrible. It would just be dreadful if they came to Oredya, don't you think? Just awful."

The figure was still gazing at the poster. "Mind if I have this?" it croaked.

The healer looked surprised, but shook her head. "Not at all. The knights have given us plenty."

The figure nodded and tore the flyer from the wall and pocketed it. It then shuffled to the table in the room and sat down, carefully lying its cane off to the side. This room was also filled to the brim with vials, and with cauldrons and books and shiny tools. The healer quickly washed her hands in a basin and then turned to the stranger.

"What's the problem?" she asked.

The figure paused for a moment, and then carefully untied its cloak so that just the fabric covering its left shoulder fell back. A large arrow wound had blackened under its collar bone, and the healer gasped.

"Oh, that looks awful. How did you come by it?" the healer asked as she rushed to find the right vial.

"In the forest," the stranger simply said.

The healer had begun to dab a thick, gray potion onto the wound, and the dried blood began to come off. The healer furrowed her brow at this answer.

"But it looks like an arrow wound," she said.

The stranger did not answer at first, but then shrugged and said, "Yes."

The healer then saw a bit of the flyer sticking out of the figure's pocket. She gasped.

"It wasn't… _them_, was it?" she asked excitedly.

"Who?" the stranger asked.

"Those outlaws. The ones they're searching for."

"Oh, them," the stranger said. "It could have been." It gasped as the healer applied a stinging red liquid.

The healer fell silent as she cleansed the wound, but the stranger kept taking a breath as if to say something, but then would remain silent. After a few moments, it finally spoke.

"What do you know of them?" it asked.

The healer's eyes darkened. "Terrible people. Lord Taryceth told us to be on our guard… he said they have been stealing horrible amounts of gold."

"And keeping it?"

"No, that's the worst part. They've been giving it away!"

The stranger gasped again. "No," it said incredulously. "To whom?"

"To the peasants in Kyrria and Ayortha!"

"Not in Oredya?"

The healer grunted. "No… they're probably afraid, our knights are the best," she said in satisfaction. "Besides, we don't have peasants. Everyone is equal."

"So you make the same amount of money as Lord Taryceth?" the stranger asked, its voice less husky.

The healer frowned. "Well… no, but he deserves it."

"So he works like you do, then."

The healer's frown deepened. "No, but he was born to be above us. He shouldn't have to work."

The stranger was silent for a moment. "So if these two outlaws," it suddenly said, "were to leave a bag of gold on everyone's porch in town, you wouldn't take it?"

The healer scowled, wiping the blood off far harder than she had to. The stranger winced.

"Are you from Oredya or not?" the healer asked angrily.

The stranger chortled. "Yes," it said, "but I have traveled to other lands. In some lands, there are no lords and everyone is free to do whatever trade they want." It paused. "Did you wish to become a healer?"

The healer scowled worse than ever. "It is what Lord Taryceth ordered me to do."

"That doesn't answer my question."

The healer threw down her towel and glared at the stranger. "I could report you to Lord Taryceth!" she shrilled. "For treason!"

The stranger, however, still sat calmly on the table, its hood still darkening its face. It shook its head sadly.

"No need," it said, its voice gruff once again. "I will be quiet."

The healer nodded indignantly. "Too right you will." She sat back down on her stool and finished applying a potion. The stranger, true to its word, kept quiet as the healer wrapped a bandage around its shoulder.

"Thank you," the stranger said, reaching into its pocket to pay the healer. The healer turned to wash her hands again and then stiffly thanked the stranger for the money.

"It should heal in a few days time. Change the bandage twice a day, and apply a small amount of this," she thrust a vial into the stranger's hands, "when you change it."

"Thank you," the stranger said again, and then, leaning on its cane, hobbled out of the apothecary. The healer watched the stooped figure go, her eyes still narrowed in distrust. But then she shrugged, replaced the flyer on her door, and went to clean her room.

After cleaning her tools, however, she opened the drawer to put them away when she gasped. There, inside her drawer, was a pouch that had never been there before. Opening it, she gasped again.

It was filled with gold.

* * *

Aurora entered the forest once again to hear Marius' applause from their small and well-hidden camp, up in the trees. She threw off her tattered cloak and curtsied with a great flourish of her hands, Marius laughing. She tossed the twisted cane aside and bent down to the creek to wash her hands. Her disguise had worked brilliantly, but she sobered as she thought on the healer.

"You were right," she said to Marius, wiping her hands clean. "The healer would have turned me in in a moment had she known who I was. She had such a stubborn loyalty to Lord… what was his name? Lord Taryceth? … and for no good reason!" she cried in exasperation, climbing the tree to sit next to Marius. He sighed and shook his head.

"The first thing to go," he muttered. "The very first thing."

"I do, however, have a present for you," she said with a sly smile.

He cocked an eyebrow. "What is it?"

She slipped a hand in her pocket and extracted the flyer, which she handed to him. He scanned it quickly, but smiled.

"There's no sketch," he said. "No one's told them what we look like."

She smiled, too, but rested her head against the limb on which she sat.

"We really shouldn't stay in Oredya," she said.

He nodded. "You're right. My father loves catching criminals… so do the knights."

Aurora laughed. "But your knights are terrible! They didn't even realize you were being attacked by ogres!" she cried, chuckling.

He snorted. "I get the worst knights to be my protectors."

Aurora's brow furrowed. "Your father needs to get his priorities straight."

"I've been telling him for years." He paused. "So where shall we go?"

She shrugged, gazing at the flyer again. "My father ordered them," she said with a small smile, indicating the bottom of the flyer.

"Well, he and the whole Kyrrian-Ayorthan-Oredyan alliance are out to get us. What fun," he said with a laugh.

"With some crazy old sheriff to boot. Just my luck."

They were silent for a while, as the sun rose higher and hotter. Aurora could tell that Marius was thinking; whenever he was coming up with a plan, his lower lip jutted out and his forehead wrinkled into a V.

"What's the plan?" she asked shrewdly.

He looked up at her, but then shook his head. "I thought… but we couldn't… it's too dangerous… it'll be surrounded… no, no we really couldn't… if only we had a crossbow."

She looked at him with a puzzled face. "What on earth are you talking about?"

He shook his head. "I thought… but it's foolish."

"_What_ did you think?"

"I thought we could try and get into Lord Taryceth's home… but I'm bringing my own grudges into this. We'd get caught in a minute."

Aurora, however, did not reprimand him for such a foolhardy idea, and instead put on her own thinking face. Her eyebrows contracted and her eyes narrowed, and when Marius saw this he panicked.

"Aurora, no, it's a stupid idea, we'll be sent to the gallows before we even get off our horses…"

But it was no use. Aurora suddenly broke from her thoughts and looked at him.

"How far do you think the Ayorthan border is from here?" she asked.

He pursed his lips, not wanting to tell her, and yet wanting to at the same time. "A few miles." He reached up and pulled a map out of his bag that was sitting nicely on a branch above him. He laid it out so they both could see.

"We were right here when we left the sheriff last night," he said, pointing to a town at the border of Kyrria and Ayortha. "And Ayortha swings down like this, so we rode across and hit the border of Oredya… but then we kept going, so I'd say we're about… five miles."

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Aurora said with a smile, jumping out of the tree and beginning to saddle her horse.

"Aurora, where do you plan on going?" he asked nervously.

"Just to a town in Ayortha so we can get a crossbow and some more arrows. They're far more friendlier, don't you think?" she said with a mischievous smile.

"Well, of course, but have you given any thought as to what you'll do _after_ you get the crossbow?"

She shrugged. "A little."

He sighed. Even after only a week together, he knew that she was stubborn as a mule. He packed up their things and saddled his horse as well.

"Alright, then, let's go."

* * *

A/N – Hey! Sorry this took so long! I was all inspired, and then I kind of got uninspired, and then I was worrying about my other story, and… well, anyways, here it is! And it was pretty long, too.

So, review, please! I know there aren't many by the Ella Enchanted standards, but by my usual standards, there's quite a lot! So review some more!

Sincerely, yours, etc.,

Emma


End file.
